Pak Idrus's Blog

It Saturday, the weather is beautiful. After doing the morning ritual like feeding the Cats, the Fish in the pond and putting fresh foods at the Birdfeeder at the Serambi I decided to Lepak at KLCC. My spouse did not want to come along. She say just get a takeaway of Biayni for her. I drove the Honda and got to the mall in good times. Had a simple lunch of Mee Mamak at the RASA food court and then after browsing at Kinokuniya bought a book by John Grisham. Went upstairs to the Coffee Club and sat down to enjoy the coffee with a snack. Well that's life... Have a nice day.

Last year a female alley cat came over to the house and became friendly. I shoo it off but it kept coming and slept on the chair at the Serambi [patio]. After a few weeks of doing that I found the cat was trying to find a more comfortable place to sleep. My experience with cat say that this cat is trying a safe place to give birth. I then took out a basket and laid it with old newspaper and put it under a low lying table at the Serambi. Sure enough that night she slept in that basket and later on give birth to four beautiful kitten. To help her raised the kitten we took all the kittens and the mother cat and put all in a bigger cage at the back of the house. We already have three cats so we do not want to have more. My spouse and the grandkids help to feed the kittens. Later on we decided to spay the mother cat so that she would not continue to have kittens. At the same time as the kitten grows and could eat solid food we decided to get folks to adopt it. We put up notice on Facebook ...

This morning went to do marketing at the Datuk Keramat Wet Market. Got ready early and wait for the driver (eldest daughter's family driver) to come at 8.30am. I no longer drive to the market, moreover I need a helping hand at the market. All the vendor's there are friends since I have been going there for some forty  years. So it was easy, just tell them what I wanted without haggling on prices. So today I boughts Crabs, Sotong[Cuttle Fish], Udang[Prawn] and fishes as well Ikan Bilis[Dried Anchovies] now at RM8 0.00 per kilo. Ikan Bilis used to be a poor folks dried fish, now it a luxury item. Got some fresh Veges which includes Chilly Merah which today is RM26.00 a kilo. I was looking for Udang Galah and Ikan Tamban Beluru but none was seen. I have not eaten Tamban Beluru for years already. One of the tastiest fish, Goreng or Singgang. Even in Kuantan it difficult to get this fish. Well folks and for lunch today we had the Crab Curry as seeing above. Delicious ind...

1- Today Sunday the kitchen closed. Leftovers dah habis so my spouse suggest that just cook rice and buy the Lauk. With confidence I drove to Ampang Point and park the car in front of the Kampong Thai restaurant and found the shop closed. Then drive on and saw a new Chinese Muslim restaurant, parked the car and as I walk I saw a notice Not open. I then drive back to the Mokcik warong at Jalan 1 Ampang Jaya that sell Thai food and found that too is closed. I call my spouse and she s uggest try another Thai restaurant at the back. I move on and park my car and got out, on seeing me one of the worker say it not open until 12.00 noon. At that time it was 11.30 am and I ask whether I could order a takeaway. The worker say they only take order at 12 and not now. I then drive home. My spouse say just buy the usual at McDonald's. I drove to the McDonald's drive in and bought 2 set of Filet of Fish, the only food that we could take from that fast-food. That folks is the the story of ou...

I have always love driving, it actually has became an extension of myself; a passion indeed. From my first car the Fiat 600 that I bought in 1967 and to the last car a Honda Accord that I bought after my retirement from the government service in 1990  I have always love driving.  That Honda Accord is now 14 years old and hardly use. The above image shows the speedometer of the car now only at 090399 kilometres. As we all know pretty well cars price in Malaysia depreciated at RM10 thousands a year. I bought it at RM140 thousands new in 2005. It a good car, the top range of the Honda's and it a pleasure to drive. The furthest I drive now is to the KLCC which is just 6 kilometres away from home. Last week on the way to Kuantan I could only drive as far as Bentong. The rest of the journey my daughter Lin took over the wheel with me sitting behind like a boss and enjoying the trip. Life is like that in the golden years.  Have a nice da...

Some locks are not often use, it just use only from time to time. I found that in my house the locks to the bathrooms are the most frequent used thus the wear and tear are more than the other locks. At time because of the many usages it got jammed and one had to go and look for the keys to open it. So as not to get locked in by one's bathroom it is always wise to check whether the lock need replacement. My spouse told me that one of our bathroom's door got jammed from inside and it take awhile for her to open it. I told her that it looks like I had to get both the locks of the two bathrooms replaced. So last week I went and bought two sets of a new one. Since I could easily fixed it I decided to do it  myself. I decided to start working on the bathroom door of the main bedroom first.  It took awhile to fixed one door because I have not done it for some times, since replacing a door lock doesn't happen always. Anyway with the try and error I got it don...

Today is the 13th day of Syawal and I believe most of us have got over the Rendang and Ketupat overdosed and now back to square one of enjoying our regular meals before the ritual of the Hari Raya Open House starts this weekend. Yesterday being a Sunday we went out and had lunch at Madam Kwan in KLCC. It was indeed one sumptuous meal we have had since after Ramadan. With the Hari Raya Open House everywhere the roads would be jammed with cars of all made, parked in the neighbourhood like an outlets of secondhand car dealers. Then everyone would be overdosed again before the country is back to normal come July!  That folks is the lifestyle of Malaysian; Makan, Makan and Makan! Beautiful indeed!  Have a nice day.

It a cloudy morning on June 2, 2019.  I am taking the day easy. Tidy up the Serambi and the Little Garden awaiting Hari Raya. Two days more to go before the end of Ramadan and the arrival of Syawal and Hari Raya Aidilfitri on June 5, 2019. So far it has been a blessed Ramadan, Alhamdulillah.. After I had tidy the Serambi Kenet the cat decides to take a nap on the tikar, how nice.  With that I wish everyone;  Selamat Hari Raya. Have a nice day.

It has been a cloudy day and now at past 3.00 pm on a Wednesday afternoon suddenly the Sun shines bright. I felt real good sitting at the Serambi. See what a difference our environment became when both Rain and the Sun appears at almost the same time! It charges the atmosphere to be positive. During my childhood days parents do not allows their kids to play in the open during Hujan Panas [when it rains and the Sun shines at the same time], they may get sick. Another aspect of Hujan Panas in those days is that it often relates to someone Mati berdarah! [human die because of killing]  Perhaps only folks of my generation are aware of these belief. In a traditional society every belief had it beginning in our history for some reasons. Perhaps Mati  berdarah happens during the war or during the Japanese Occupation where many ordinary folks get killed. It is because of the unnatural death that folks associate it with death with blood. It was common during the Japanese occ...

I love the green so with the little space I have at one corner of my patio I created my Little Garden  with a varieties of potted plants. At the same time I  grow whatever trees on the roadside of my house which kept the area green and refreshing. In the front of my house I grows many creeper plants up front of my gate and above the garage. These are creepers that flowers all the times. Other than that I also plant the traditional Malay flowering plant call Kenanga. Kenanga gives a smooth fragrance. Bougainvillea of different color of flowers are grown in pots and put on the ground to control it growth as not to become too big and difficult to control. Other than that potted plants that flowers throughout the year are grown outside the gate as well. Above is an image of the plants above my garage and in front of my gate producing shades and colorful flowers. These plants kept the house especially my Serambi, the favourite space of the house cool all the time. Have a nic...

It the 26th of May 2019. Woke up to a beautiful day with the Sun just rising above the horizon at the back of my house. It a gorgeous day indeed and it a Sunday, giving folks the opportunity to enjoy the weather as they take a walk around the neighbourhood. After feeding the two cats at the Serambi and the fish in the pond I decides to go out of the house to enjoy the fresh air and the sunshine on such a bright and beautiful morning. Looking at the sky in front of my house I had a glimpse of the Moon up above. It the 21st day of the Ramadan's moon. All throughout this months it has been raining off and on and most of the time the sky was cloudy, thus was not possible to see the Moon all the times. So far I managed to see the moon twice this Ramadan month and this morning is the third time. I was delighted to see the Moon this morning and decides to get my camera and take a shot of it before it disappeared behind some clouds. With the camera I venture a bit further and look at ...

It the 16th day of Ramadan. As usual in the evening I would sit at the Serambi [Malay patio] and take it easy. The clock on the wall shows its 6.18 pm and it raining. Nice. I always love the rain. Now it kept the Serambi cool and a nice place to while the time away before Buka Puasa [iftar] . Kenet the cat is with me perhaps enjoying the rain too. I have just start reading this book by Lauren Booth the sister in law of Tony Blair the former PM of UK. She has since convert to Islam and wrote this book, thus the title ' Finding Peace in the Holy Land '. Well I just bought the book a few days ago, not looking for it but found it glaring at me. Without thinking much bought three books including this one.  The other two are about Islam too [image on the left] I have always believe that books always looks for it's reader. So in one looks I bought three books just on impulse. Most of the time I get good books and this time I am indeed happy to get all the three books in one g...

Memories kept coming back. The year 1945. The month probably July, the month the Japanese surrendered in Malaya. Me just about six years old. All the time during my growing up period I watch the red and white Japanese flag flying everywhere but suddenly I saw none. One piece of memory that is vivid that happens just before the war end is the day my my dad holding my hand and run to take cover under the rubber trees near the house when we saw a Japanese plane flying overhead.  I still remember this happening as clear as though it happened yesterday. Another incident is a time after the war when I went to see my uncle who live at Batu Sembilan, near the Kuantan Airport. On the way I saw a small Japanese Air plane that had crashed on the roadside still with the remains of the pilot in the cockpit. Amazing these two incidents are etched in my mind as vivid as ever. [Image on the left is taken from the Internet.] Have a nice day.

The call of the beach and the sea is always there. I  am nostalgic about the beach I grew up, especially the Teluk Cempedak beach in Kuantan, my hometown. So from time to time I would go and be at the beach early in the morning, more often before the others are there and wait to watch the rising Sun. In that early morning before the sun rise the beach is already alive with active of little creature like the sand crabs and little birds that comes to feeds. Above is the crab-hole  in the sand at the beach.    A little later the thousand of little Crabs would vanished underground and would only come out the next morning to feed. It really refreshing to sit there and enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the beach before the appearing of the Sun, the beginning of a new day. Life is beautiful indeed.  Have a nice day. T

Today is May 13, a day in our history. In 1969 I was a 30 years old officer working in Malacca. 0n May 10 I was a Polling Officer at a Polling station in Alor Gajah. Woke up early, at 6.00 am was at the Malacca Tengah Police station, pick the Polling Box etc, a Police escort and drove to the designated Polling station to start managing the Election there. The election went smoothly. After closing the Polling station in the afternoon took the sealed Ballot Box to the counting centre in Malacca Tengah. After handing over the Ballot Box and the relevant documents to the Election Commission  personal there, signed the handing over document left for home to rest and wait for the election result. Have a nice day.

Life in the golden years is challenging indeed especially so of our mind to retained memories. Memory of the present fades fast, one seconds we remember then the next second we may forget but we learn to live with it. At the same time we are blessed that our memories of the past became clearer as we move on. It some cases it became vivid, just like it happened yesterday. The last few days I got reconnect with a friend of the past. For almost forty years we lost contact but we both remembered those beautiful moments of our youth. Another memories that keep popping up from time to time is the episodes of my life when I was organising an International Seminar at the Merlin Hotel in Kuala Lumpur in 1981. At that time I was the Director of the Development and Promotion of Culture at the Culture Division of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. These episodes of my life W hich start in 1981 lasted for one and a half years. It was such a beautiful memories that It always nice and be...

E-hailing is now my mode of transport going into the city. Mostly to and fro my home in Ampang Jaya to KLCC or Nu Sentral/KL Sentral, both my favourites Lepak place. E-hailing is God send, you just touch the apps on your smartphone and it done. I usually sit on the front seat where I get to chat with the Driver. Unlike the traditional taxi E-hailing drivers are a class of its own. They may be Engineers or of other professions thus chatting with most of them are interesting. Another aspect they are more polite and it does made the ride comfortable. Those who works full-time does made good money and the part- timers are mostly just want an extra buck and enjoy talking to people. Today on the way back the young driver told me he is from Ipoh and he came to Kuala Lumpur to make money to maintains his family. He goes back to Ipoh to be with his family once a week. While here to saved money he just sleep in his car at a safe place and use the public washroom to bathe and change clothin...

I grew up in Kuantan, a small town on the east coast of Malaya. Thus the Kuantan River is part of my growing up culture. We live not that far away from the river at a shop-house at Wall Street, now known as Jalan Mahkota. From time to time my grandfather who live at Peramu on the other side of the river would take me to his kampong house by boat. It was really exciting to sit on the small boat been paddle across the river. We were never allows to play near the river since it is not safe as there are crocodiles there. As such no one would swim even near the riverbank. Anyway I love to walk along the bank and enjoy the beautiful scene of mangrove swamp on the other sides.  Above is the scene of the river as seen today.  Have a nice day.

Sixty years ago our country was pristine. We could drink the water in the streams and river. The air was clean and no pollution whatsoever. And we all live a healthy life. We still can do that. We can clean our environment if each of us stop using plastic, straw, throw trash into river and use less air condition. We can if we think we can. I am doing that so can you.  At my home in Ampang I have created a little garden where I planted greens to give me that green environment as well a place for small animals to live and enjoy the little green space. It sort of an eco system where we coexist with the other species. The greens not only provides oxygen for us it also provides a safe space for small animals to come and play. Every morning I would put some cut fruits and bread for the animals come to feed. Have a nice day.

I love to take the image of the moon and from time to time when the opportunity arise I would go out of the house to take a few shots of it.  It the moon that I had watched from my childhood gazing at the heaven. It always fascinates me but then in those days it was not possible to own a camera and capture it, then watch it at our convenience at home. After I retired in the early nineties I decided to take photography as a hobby. From the humble film camera, I graduate to the digital era. Then got my first DSLR. It a bulky and heavy too. With the arrival of the Mirrorless camera which is smaller and much lighter I decided to get the latest camera from the Canon M series. Above is an image of the Crescent that I took this Saturday morning on February 10, 2018 using the Canon EOS M5 with an 200mm lens. Enjoy it folks much as I had enjoyed snapping it.  Have a nice day.